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カテゴリー別アーカイブ: Pharmacist

A Blenheim pharmacist says he regularly fields requests from overseas visitors who expect the contraceptive pill to be available without a prescription.

The nation’s biggest pharmacy chain, Green Cross Health, has asked health officials to reconsider the requirement for a prescription for oral contraceptives.

At the moment only the morning-after pill is available across the counter without a doctor’s prescription. Next month a Medsafe committee will consider a proposal from Green Cross Health and consultancy Pharma Projects to change that.

Brian Powell, a pharmacist at Blenheim’s John Poswillo Pharmacy, said during the harvest season between two and three people would come to the pharmacist each month asking for the contraceptive pill without a doctor’s prescription.

“There’s a lot of people who come through here from overseas and are used to buying contraceptives over the counter.”

If contraception did become available over the counter at pharmacies without a doctor’s prescription, it was important that there was good communication between doctors and pharmacists, Powell said.

“The GPs – they hold all the health information. If you start taking bits and pieces of that health system away, the GP doesn’t have that complete picture of that women’s health.”

Women might miss out on some of the preventative health messages they got through visiting a nurse or doctor if the change went through, Powell said, such as checking whether a woman was up-to-date with her cervical smears or if she had had a HPV vaccine.

Family Planning national medical adviser Dr Christine Roke said she didn’t think making the contraceptive pill available over the counter at pharmacies would reduce the rate of unplanned pregnancies.

Two of the biggest barriers to getting the contraceptive pill were affordability and living a long distance from where the pill was available.

“This doesn’t have much potential to address that. There’s nothing wrong with the proposal but it’s unlikely to reach that group.”

Making the pill available over the pharmacy counter would help people who were already able to afford and organise contraception, Roke said.

“It’s just a different way of doing it.”

If the plan did go ahead, pharmacists needed to have proper training, Roke said.

“Whoever’s providing the contraception needs to assess the person and make sure they’re not one of the few people who shouldn’t be using the contraceptive pill and that they’re using the pill correctly.”

A pharmacist who served a home detention sentence for Misuse
of Drugs Act offences had his registration cancelled
yesterday by the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal.

Samer Moustafa Dabous, of Dunedin, yesterday admitted a
charge brought by the professional conduct committee at a
hearing in Dunedin.

Mr Dabous (35) told the tribunal he was receiving counselling
for addiction and wanted to practise again once his life was
stable.

He wanted to regain the trust of the professional body.

He had liked the job because it helped people.

He apologised for damaging the reputation of the profession
while he had been on the ”wrong path”.

His registration has been suspended since late 2011.

The professional conduct committee argued it should be
cancelled because of the seriousness of the offending.

In the Auckland District Court last May, Mr Dabous was
convicted for possessing class C controlled drugs (diazepam,
cannabis and triazolam) for sale on or about December 4,
2011, and for possessing class B controlled drugs (morphine
and Ritalin) for supply on or about December 4, 2011.

Mr Dabous told the tribunal he had ”lost everything” as a
consequence of the offending.

Originally from Syria, Mr Dabous said the offending occurred
during armed conflict in his country, when he was worried
about friends and family.

LOS ANGELES, CA–(Marketwired – Apr 7, 2015) – Growing up in a bi-coastal family, Dr. Mona Vand could see from an early age that she had a deep passion for science and helping people — something she’s now taking to an exciting global level with the launch of her multi-faceted health and wellness website and web series, centered around her passion as The Modern Pharmacist.

Dr. Mona Vand attended the prestigious Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. She has also earned the sponsorship of Opus Rx.

“Pharmaceutical science approaches health from so many different angles. Having the ability to work with people, understand how chemicals work in the body, and one day work to develop my own health and wellness products was something I strived for,” says Dr. Mona.

Now, as The Modern Pharmacist, the beautiful and charismatic media entrepreneur is doing just that; combining her extensive expertise in pharmacy with her deep interest and expertise in nutrition, beauty, fitness and overall wellness. In addition to putting a fresh face on the traditional world of pharmacy, Dr. Mona’s soon-to-launch website — and the ambitious slate of multi-media platforms to follow — uniquely positions her as the Dr. Oz and Rachel Ray of The Modern Pharmacist movement, whose mission is to help patients understand the connection between pharmaceutical science and overall wellness.

While Dr. Mona’s intense six years of pharmacy school and many years of professional experience as a Compounding Pharmacist in Los Angeles leave her with a wealth of information to share, she points out that she’s also just a normal woman who wants to help people in a relatable way. “I’m a professional who is excited about sharing my knowledge with the world,” she says.

After graduating as a Doctor of Pharmacy, she settled in L.A. and worked first as a retail pharmacist before switching to a clinical pharmacy where she specialized in compounding — a fast growing part of the field that allows pharmacists to create customized strengths, combine ingredients, compound a tablet or capsule into a liquid, eliminate preservatives and prepare special formulations.